TABLE-Czech opposition narrows gap behind government

...CVVM agency showed the three-party coalition 
would win 53.5 percent of the vote versus a total of 44.5 
percent for the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) and the 
Communists (KSCM). That is 1.5 percentage points narrower than a 
month ago, thanks to increased support for the Communists. 
    The government has said it would try to provoke early 
elections if the reforms fail in parliament over the summer. 
    The right-wing Civic Democrats (ODS) formed a cabinet with 
the centrist Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Green Party 
in January, supported by two defectors from the Social 
Democrats. The coalition has just 100 seats in the 200-seat 
lower house. 
    In early April, the government presented fiscal reforms 
cutting spending and lowering taxes, which leftists say are 
mainly aimed at the rich. The reforms however also sparked 
protests within the coalition, and their fate is uncertain. 
    The left has gradually been catching up in popular support 
with the government in the past few months. One opinion poll 
earlier in May showed an election now would reproduce a 
stalemate with both centre-right and left-wing camps winning 100 
seats each. 
     
 DATE    INSTITUTE   ODS    CSSD   KSCM   KDU-CSL  Greens 
 May 23    CVVM      35.0   29.0   15.5    9.5       9.0 
 May 17    STEM      28.6   27.6   12.6    6.6       9.2 
 May 9     FI        34.5   32.3   12.2    9.1       7.0 
 April 18  STEM      29.2   24.9   10.9    6.6      11.6 
 April 18  CVVM      35.0   29.0   14.0    8.0      10.5 
 March 28  FI        35.1   26.9   13.0    8.2      11.0 
 March 21  CVVM      34.5   29.0   15.0    9.0       9.0 
 March 14  STEM      32.0   23.7   10.9    7.0      11.1 
 Feb 26    FI        34.7   29.5   13.3    7.3       7.6 
 Feb 21    CVVM      34.5   26.0   15.5    8.0      12.0 
 Feb 15    STEM      31.3   23.4   12.7    7.6      10.3 
 Feb 1     CVVM      37.0   24.5   16.0    8.0      11.5 
 Jan 26    FI        36.5   29.5   14.1    7.3       7.6 
 Jan 16    STEM      32.3   20.9   12.4    7.5      11.1 
 Dec 20    CVVM      38.0   23.5   11.5   11.0      12.0 
 Dec 15    STEM      32.9   20.6   13.1    7.0      11.2 
 Dec 07    FI        35.8   30.9   14.3    6.6       7.2 
 Nov 23    CVVM      41.0   26.0   11.0    7.0      11.0 
 Nov 15    STEM      35.1   20.7   10.9    7.5       9.4 
 Nov 10    FI        41.1   27.7   12.7    6.0       7.1 
 Oct 23    CVVM      36.0   30.5   15.0    6.0       9.5 
 Oct 16    FI        35.9   27.2   13.9    6.9       8.4 
 Oct 15    STEM      32.0   22.7   11.7    6.3      10.5 
 Sept 22   CVVM      37.0   29.5   13.0    8.0      10.0 
 Sept 21   STEM      32.8   26.6   10.0    4.2      10.3 
 Sept 18   FI        36.3   32.0   13.7    6.5       7.3 
 Aug 7     FI        41.0   30.8   12.3    6.3       6.9 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
June 2-3 election    35.4   32.3   12.8    7.2       6.3 
  
    NOTE. The CVVM poll was conducted between May 7 and May 14 
among 1,132 Czechs. 
 The parties are: 
 - Civic Democratic Party (ODS) - right wing, 
liberal-conservative 
 - The Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) - leftist 
 - Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party 
(KDU-CSL) - centrist 
 - The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) - far left 
 - The Greens - environmentalists, centrist. 
   Pollsters: The FI and CVVM results are based on a model 
predicting gains at the poll box, excluding those not willing to 
vote and undecided. 
   STEM results are direct voter preferences, and include 
replies from all respondents including those not willing to 
vote. Parties should thus win a larger than indicated share of 
the vote at the election. 
  
  Keywords: CZECH POLITICS/POLL  
    

[Reuters/Finance.cz]